Pictured is Kilkenny Camogie player Katie Power, who today was on hand to launch a landmark partnership between the GAA and Dublin based company, The Marketing Hub. The partnership will see The Marketing Hub become the GAA’s first licensed leisurewear supplier. The clothing collection will feature a wide range of items specifically created for GAA fans in 32 counties as well as New York and London.
By John Harrington
Kilkenny camogie star, Katie Power, admits the knee injury that has ended her season has been hard to take.
The talented forward broke her knee-cap in an innocuous incident in a training match and is in the very early stages of her rehab.
“Yeah it's fairly disappointing now, fairly raw as well,” says Power. “Well it's 10 days or so now. I was literally just back from the finger, I was back six or eight weeks.
“I got back before scheduled and got two games at the end of club and I was back in obviously with the county.
“Six days then before championship, so it was the Sunday before the Waterford game, we were just playing a training match and broke my kneecap. That ended my season before it even started really with Kilkenny.
“It was and it still is extremely disappointing, it will probably take me a while to get over this one I'd say. I'm just trying to keep the head up.
“I dunno...I have nothing to say to anyone at the moment because obviously it's just upsetting and very disappointing, but time will help, I suppose, and help me get over this one.”
What makes the injury especially hard to take for Power to take is that she sustained it in such unfortunate circumstances.
“Yeah it was such a freak accident," says Power. "A couple of years ago, well it was probably six or seven years ago, I actually broke the order kneecap but it was a slap of a hurl.
“This one, I was chasing down a girl, I was right behind her, I could have hooked her and she obviously seen me so she went to change direction and I went to go with her. I literally just heard something, I didn't know what it was in the moment.
“You'd hear people saying when they do their cruciate, they hear a pop. It wasn't that but I'll just never forget, I heard something and...I'll just never forget the pain. I just went straight down. It was literally me just trying to change direction. I was going as fast paced as you could.
“The doctor just doesn't understand, he said he never seen this happen. Obviously when I broke my other kneecap, that was how most kneecaps are broken; a slap of the hurl or a collision or something like that, but the fact that I wasn't even in a tackle... I was literally just running behind someone else. It just couldn't be worse luck, it was just unlucky - that's probably the only way to describe it really.”
Katie Power of Kilkenny pictured in full flight during the 2019 Littlewoods Ireland Camogie League Division 1 Final match between Kilkenny and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin.
It's been a tough year on the injury front for Power, who underwent two bouts of surgery on a broken finger that in the end had to be fused.
“Yeah, it's fused now,” says Power. “Obviously the first surgery they didn't want to fuse it, that was the last case scenario. Because you just don't want that to happen to anyone really. Then from a recovery point of view it was going to take a lot longer so that's why they tried putting the bone in and wiring it and pinning it first.
“Obviously then that just failed, so come April/May time when it didn't hold up that's when it had to be fused.
“It looks a bit gammy, but, to be honest it's the best it's been in 12 months. I'll never forget trying to play through it, it was absolute torture. Even trying to practice yourself you'd be nearly trying not to go and you'd just be minding it because you'd know if you go practice yourself at training the next night you're not going to be able to train sufficiently the night after.
“Look, it looks a bit gammy now, and I was obviously very disappointed to have to get it fused, but in terms of camogie side of things it was the best it was in 12 months.
“I had no niggles whereas last year it was half-holding me back, it was hindering me that bit small bit. This year coming the last couple of weeks I was building and building and feeling good and it wasn't hindering me.
“That's why I'm so disappointed (over the knee) whereas if I had a few niggles and wasn't playing great I probably wouldn't be as disappointed.
“I don't want to dwell on it too much. The last week or 10 days obviously people are talking to you about it and stuff.
“I'm trying not to think negatively and think, poor me, and, poor this. Look, it will hopefully come good in a couple of months. Three, four, or five months hopefully I won't be too far away from coming back again.”